Once upon a time in the south: Tarantino solidarity trip to troops, towns
Social media lights up with spottings of the director at IDF bases and in southern communities; other Hollywood celebs speak out in support of Israel
Filmmaker Quentin Tarantino made a surprise solidarity visit to southern Israel on Friday, visiting military bases and towns.
Social media lit up with selfies and videos of the creator of “Kill Bill” and “Inglourious Basterds” alongside soldiers and local residents.
In one widely shared TikTok from Tarantino’s trip south on Friday, a young barefoot Israeli walks up to the Hollywood celeb in Sde Boker and asks to make a short video with him.
The man hugs the director with a large grin.
A good sport, Tarantino, who, among other trophies, has won seven Academy Awards, seven BAFTA Awards, and eight Golden Globe Awards, plays along before walking to his next fan.
The TikTok video is captioned, “Tarantino in Sde Boker: An exciting moment amidst all this shit.”
@melachim_alefbet אני מרגיש שיש גליץ׳ במערכת
Photos also showed him alongside troops and eating hummus in Har Hanegev.
Tarantino visited the Negev region to visit with survivors from the Gaza border communities, and to support local businesses.
In this short, the feted director compliments “the magnificent feast” that was laid out for the visitors.
Tarantino is married to Israeli performer and model Daniella Pick, the daughter of iconic songwriter and performer Svika Pick. He first met his future wife in Israel in 2009 and they began their serious relationship in 2016, marrying under a huppah, or Jewish wedding canopy, in 2018. The couple have two children and split their time between Israel and abroad.
On October 7, the Hamas terrorist organization infiltrated Israel in a well-coordinated, multi-prong attack that has since seen over 1,350 dead, thousands wounded and some 150-200 believed taken captive and transported to the Gaza Strip.
Over 300,000 Israelis have been called up for reserve duty and Israeli artists and musicians have likewise gone to the frontline to raise spirits of soldiers and civilians.
קוונטין טרנטינו הגיע לבקר בבסיס בדרום. רספקט גדול pic.twitter.com/xc9LY9lEOh
— Raz Shechnik (@RazShechnik) October 13, 2023
Tarantino is not the only celeb to vocally support Israel. According to the Hollywood Reporter, high-profile actors including Adam Sandler, Jennifer Garner and Yara Shahidi expressed empathy for the victims of the Hamas infiltration and those who have been killed amid the violence.
Sandler posted on social media that he was “heartbroken by the horrendous attacks on Israel” adding, “I pray for peace and the safety of innocent Israelis and Palestinians everywhere.”
Garner described the “unbearable” images of the slaughtered children.
“And yet we must bear witness,” she wrote on Instagram.
“We must stand with every mother and father holding their children in this darkness and pray for every parent separate from or, God forbid, unable to hold their child. The human toll of innocent Israeli and innocent Palestinian people is unthinkable to imagine and we know — children will be the most impacted,” she wrote.
The Walt Disney Company announced a $2 million donation to organizations providing humanitarian relief in the region following the overwhelming terrorist attacks, including $1 million to Magen David Adom, an affiliate of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies that provides emergency medical and blood banking services in Israel.
On Thursday, over 700 leaders from the entertainment industry signed an open letter released by the non-profit entertainment industry organization Creative Community For Peace in support of Israel after Hamas’s murderous rampage in southern Israel.
The celebrities and entertainment executives who signed the letter included Gal Gadot, Jerry Seinfeld, Jamie Lee Curtis, Chris Pine, Mayim Bialik, Liev Schreiber, Amy Schumer, Michael Douglas, Debra Messing, Haim Saban, Mark Hamill, Rick Yorn, Howie Mandel, Julian Edelman, Antoine Fuqua and others.
“My heart is aching for the lives lost and families shattered,” said Gadot. “I’m praying for everyone who has been affected by Hamas’s terrorism and brutality. And I hope that the world remains steadfast in their support of the Israeli people.”
On her X page, Gadot posted photos and details of kidnapped Israelis, including young children, and noted that “there are hundreds of missing innocent Israelis, their families broken and begging for any piece of information, any lead to help bring them home.”
She said she was “using my platform to share their names. their faces, to tell the world what is happening,” and asked, “Please share their photos, share the stories. Together let’s #BringThemBack.”
